The Royal College of Midwives has today made a plea to NHS leaders to protect the safety of pregnant women by ringfencing maternity services in the current crisis. There is concern that vital staff, including midwives and maternity support workers, will be redeployed to other areas, at a time when a survey of senior midwives […]
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An existing drug can be used to improve the womb for pregnancy, study led by University of Warwick finds Sitagliptin is first drug of its kind shown to increase stem cells in the lining of the womb Stem cells have been shown to improve renewal of the womb lining and to reduce inflammation in early […]
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Changes in heart rate, due to low oxygen conditions, experienced by the fetus during pregnancy, could be used to predict the future heart health of babies, shows research published in The Journal of Physiology today. Previous research has shown that sustained low levels of oxygen (called chronic hypoxia) during pregnancy significantly impair the growth of the fetus, leading to a condition known as intrauterine growth […]
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A study team at MedUni Vienna’s Center for Brain Research has found that high-fat maternal diets can cause life-long changes in the brain of the unborn offspring. When a pregnant woman consumes a diet high in polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids, her body produces an excess of endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids), which overload the foetal organism and […]
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We all experience birth – and yet, unlike sex and death (art’s favourite subjects) encounters with birth in contemporary art are rare. Birth is the universal subject – so why is it so obviously absent in contemporary art? A new exhibition, ‘Birth,’ at 59 Riding House Street, London, until 9th November tackles the taboos, joy, […]
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A thought-provoking new exhibition at the Royal College of GPs examines the upsides and downsides of drug-based medicine A thought-provoking new exhibition ‘What Once was Imagined’ (WOWI), at the Royal College of GPs, until May 31st, is a medical art collaboration between two friends, artist Susie Freeman and College Fellow Dr Liz Lee. Together their […]
Much of the weight gained during pregnancy isn’t from the baby itself. Rather, it’s from extra fluid that your body creates to cushion and nurture the baby. All this extra fluid can lead to swelling, one of the most common side effects of pregnancy. Swelling can happen at any time of your pregnancy, but it […]
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Smoking during pregnancy causes chemical changes to a baby’s DNA that affect its risk of smoking-related conditions in adulthood, a study has found. The research, led by scientists at Imperial College London and the University of Oulu in Finland, analysed data from more than 18,000 people in several countries, including the UK, US and Australia, […]
Mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have an elevated risk of developing postpartum depression symptoms, according to a new Finnish study. Gestational diabetes mellitus refers to impaired glucose metabolism during pregnancy. Often, mothers with GDM have too high blood glucose levels, and this increases the risk of various adverse effects on the fetus. Moreover, […]
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Nicotine exposure during pregnancy, whether from smoking cigarettes, or nicotine patches and e-cigarettes, increases risk of sudden infant death syndrome – sometimes known as “cot death” – according to new research published in The Journal of Physiology. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexpected death of an infant under 12 months of […]
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